The Ebon Alliance
by Cariyaga
Summary: Whelp, I finally put up a new chapter. Tell me what you think of it, be it via message or by review. Believe it or not, authors like it when readers take an interest in their stories. Weird, huh?
1. Prologue

Hi y'all. This would be my first published story. Excuse me while I train my spell-checker.

Lucario Riolu Pokemon Pokémon Chimchar Treecko Rei Dialga Palkia

Level-up! Spell-checker learned several pokémon terms!

There. That should do for now. Y'see, this is why I hate spell checkers. Half the stuff I type is either non-words (such as Y'see), or fictional words such as Pokemon names.

Anyway. Pokémon belongs to whoever the crap made them, while specific characters belong to me.

Without further ado, let the story-related stuffs begin.

**Character Specific (or general) Notes**

_Italics mean thoughts of various characters, generally the main one. Could also represent telepathy. Or a flashback. Or a flashforward. Yes, I use italics a lot._

Dashes (--) represent a split in sections, characters, etc, while underscores are used only at the beginning and the end.

_**Prologue**_

_In the beginning, there was only the darkness of nothingness. One day, two Pokemon created both time and the universe itself. How those Pokemon came to exist is anyone's guess. Each of you know their names; Dialga and Palkia. I am one of the few who knows what made them. A great god-pokémon was the one that created those great creatures, with such power that it could easily destroy our world in the blink of an eye. How did I come across such carnal knowledge? That's what today is for..._

--

He had a splitting headache as he sat up from the ground on which he rested. Or rather, was rested.

"_I don't know why you try, Rei. It's impossible to beat me, you know."_

"That's what you think, friend," he replied, wincing in pain as he calculated his next move against the Riolu whose words would ordinarily be quite true. Mentally, he smiled. The expert fighter was right where he wanted. He swung his legs out, which the pokémon dodged easily enough. That was to be expected. Rei moved his legs unexpectedly, grabbing hold of the pokémon's arms while he was still midair, and spinning him around. The Riolu landed, dizzy and shaken from the display, and found himself on his back, arms and legs pinned down, the human standing above it. It would be...quite the position to be caught in if they weren't in the middle of an arena already.

"What was that, J, did I hear you proclaiming me the victor?" Rei taunted.

The Riolu smirked, twitching its muscles and sending the human flying._ "Not bad, kid. You might have beaten me if I wasn't me."_

For the second time in as many minutes, Rei found himself seeing stars. Above him appeared his opponent. _"It's been ten seconds."_

"I know, Sara," Rei said somberly, standing up slowly to make sure he wouldn't fall over, which he had on several other occasions when sparring with this particular pokémon. "Ugh... You beat me up pretty good. Mind helping me back to my room?"

"_Sure, lover-boy," _She said, eyes dancing. He blushed deeply at this, but couldn't refute it. He did have feelings for the Riolu, though he wasn't sure yet it they were merely platonic or something more...interesting. Sara led her friend back to his room. Looking in the mirror, he saw what he always had. Plain brown hair, clear blue eyes and plain dress; tan breeches, a long-sleeved shirt of a like color, and plain boots marking him quite ordinary to the average eye.

Stretching back, he winced at the pain of his injuries, though they weren't too severe, considering that his exceptional friend had put him into the hospital on occasion. His thoughts on the past were interrupted by a knock on the door. He glanced at Sara, rolling his eyes as if to say, _"Of course, they would choose _now_ to knock."_

After several moments' contemplation on whether it was worth it to get up, he finally did, moving forward in an exaggerated stumble to the amusement of the Riolu balancing on his bedpost. Before he could get to the door, it opened, nearly slamming him in the face, though luckily his training assisted him in leaping out of the way... Right into a chair, which Rei stumbled over, his head going into the trash can. Now there were two feminine voices laughing at him.

"Well, I would have thought your training would have made you at least somewhat more graceful. I was apparently wrong," the new voice teased in a light alto.

"Funny, I don't remember that being there...," he said, ignoring her comment while extricating his head and shoulders from the trash receptacle. Another burst of laughter as the Riolu leapt nimbly down to the ground, moving the can back to its original position.

"Oh, believe me, he's improved quite a bit," said Sara's melodious voice from behind him. As he finally stood up again, he looked at her in surprise.

"You never said that...," he commented to her thoughtfully.

"I find it's best to keep the trainee unaware of his progress, she replied. Looking back to his visitor, whom he knew by the voice to be Melonie, a long-time friend that had got him caught up in this organization. Contrasted to himself, she was dazzling, with quite an entourage of men in her following, though she had accepted none of them.

"Well, anyway...," The redheaded beauty began, "Boss wants to see you. He says that the research into pokémon-human communication has reached a breakthrough. Though I doubt it's of much concern to you. Regardless, he says to hurry," she laughed, nodding toward the eloquent Riolu.

"O contraire, mademoiselle," he says, briefly lapsing into a bit of well-known-by-all French, his eyes widening at her announcement. He immediately reached for his work clothes, heading into the bathroom for a brief time to change and apply needed deodorant.

Outside of the bathroom, the two ladies conversed. "So, he's really coming along?" asked Melonie. She shifted in the chair that Rei had so recently fallen over, moving to straddle it with her chin propped atop it.

"Yes, quite well, in fact. He had me pinned today, though he didn't have the strength to keep me that way," Sara replied with a slight grin.

"Does _any_one have the strength to pin you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. She shuddered to think of the power that the creature on the bed might have when she evolved. It was only then that she really looked at the pokémon. Its fur coat was of a darker tint than that of most of her kind, and so too were the now-soft spurs of bone that ran down the top of her arm. The white fur that covered her chest, though, was of an even brighter tone than it would normally be, despite the workout she had just had.

Melonie had no more time to think of the pokémon's appearance, though, as Rei came out of the bathroom dressed in only slightly more formal clothes than those he might normally wear. "Are you both ready?" he asked.

Sara nodded quickly, but Melonie hesitated. "I'm not sure he would want Sara there..."

Rei's cheerful demeanor quickly changed as he scowled, saying forcefully, "I'm sure he wants to keep his best researcher, too. Lead on."

Melonie's eyebrows raised again, but she shrugged, heading to where the Boss was headed.

So, what do y'all think? How 'bout some reviews, eh? Eh?


	2. Chapter 1: Progress

Part two. Taking Ivan's advice and making the preface shorter. Talking in short, incomplete sentences, devoid of subject. And in some cases verb. :P

Ivan, if you see any other grammatical errors, point them out. I'd rather my story look as professional as possible. Yes, I know the title is terrible, and I will eventually change it. I would say I was doing pretty good for a 16-year old kid who hardly ever writes. Also, Ivan, realize that I do not abide my characters to my own grammar. For those wondering who Ivan is, check the reviews. Horizontal rulers are now used to separate sections, as well as the preface and end-notes.

**Notes (Shortened from Character Specific or general Notes)**

_Italics mean thoughts of various characters, generally the main one. Could also represent telepathy. Telepathy is surrounded by quotes while thoughts are by single-quotes (', '). Or a flashback. Or a flashforward. Yes, Ivan, I realize that telepathy is a form of thought, but some people don't. _

Research is in **bold.**

* * *

"Hello? Boss? You in here...?" Rei's voice echoed throughout the spacious room. "Sara... Could you--"

"_No. I do not have mastery over the power of my own Aura yet, much less am I capable of finding that of others," _she replied telepathically, her mental voice echoing around Rei's head much as his own had previously. Suddenly, the lights flickered on, revealing a white-tiled room with two machines sitting in the middle. They were capsule-like, with various tubes running out of them and into the other, wires running back to the operating station where sat a orange-brown pokémon with long, lanky arms and pointed features; ears, chin, and fingers. A defining feature was the atypical black whiskers that poked from the sides of his intelligent face.

"_There is no need for that, Sara. I am right here,"_ the Alakazam spoke, broadcasting his own mental voice throughout the room. Unlike the Riolu, his own physical voice was quite scratchy, as if he swallowed glass every day.

Sara frowned. "I really wish you wouldn't do that," she said aloud, slightly miffed. "It's possible to communicate telepathically _without_ reading a person's mind."

"Sow...Ahem. Sorry," the Alakazam responded in like, sounding honestly apologetic, hard as that was to hear through his own rasps. He straightened himself, looking much more business-like in the process. "Regardless of that issue, could each of you; Sara, Rei, that is, get in one of the capsules. It matters not which."

Sara looked around, confusedly for Melonie to find that she wasn't there. "_Where's Melonie?"_ she asked, directing the question both to her superior and to Rei, who looked around confusedly. The Psi pokémon stroked his moustache gently before speaking. "_She is outside. I told her to stand guard. You three are the only ones aside from me that know of this project,_" He replied to them both. "_The capsules, if you will,_" he reiterated. Rei and Sara each looked at each other, with a healthy dose of suspicion, before heading into a capsule; Rei into the one on the right, with Sara in the one on the left.

Her cherry-red eyes glinted in the now-sparse light of the chamber, unsettlingly similiar to the gas chambers used for executions. Little did she know that there was indeed a gas in there, one that would knock out rather than kill. The Alakazam thought sorrowfully at the two lab rats, '_Sorry, Rei. Only you can do this.'_

The only thing the then-human was able to say before a loud pop was, "Wha--" Quickly inhaling in fear only led to his doom as both he and Sara lost their consciousness, being caught by machine-arms that came out of hdden slots in the sides.

* * *

"_Did it go well?"_, one mental voice asked another somewhat coldly, almost devoid of emotion excepting a sadistic undertone of glee.

_"It worked just as we planned it. Our plan is coming along excellently. Good work stealing the schematics, by the way. Not that it would have been too difficult,"_ This echo of the mind was entirely calm with only the barest hint of humor. _"I will get to work immediately on him. You may go back to your normal duties. Oh, and get rid of the human girl."_

A cruel laugh echoed back across the connection as the link was cut.

* * *

Her throat felt as if it were sheathed in a furry mitt. Coughing harshly, the memories of what happened; those that she remembered, at the least, came rushing back to her. "Rr-Ack!" Sara began again to cough, this time rubbing her throat tenderly, recalling her last thoughts before she fell unconscious. '_Some...sort of drug...'_

"Sala? Ale you hele, Sala?" Rei didn't seem to be suffering the same condition as her, though he was turning his 'R's into 'L's, reminding her of herself when she had first learned the human tongue. Turning around, she saw only another Riolu. '_Another Riolu? My kind is...quite rare. Come to think of it, where are we?'_ Suddenly, she realized that she hadn't yet opened her eyes, and was instead using her mediocre control of Aura to view it.

Opening her physical eyes, she found herself--And the other Riolu-- on the opposite sides of a wooden room bedded with straw. The walls looked to be of the kind that would make up the sides of a barn. The one unique feature to the room was the opening that (apparently) led outside. Looking back to the other Riolu, she saw him speak.

"Sala, when did you grol so big?" Sara gasped. Normally as calm as a Xatu, she panicked. Her eyes opened wide and her nostrils flared as she tried in vain to rationalize this.

_"No. It...can't be. This _must_ be a dream,"_ she thought, unknowingly projecting her thoughts out. She pinched the skin on her wrist. It hurt.

"What is it, Sa...," as he spoke, he looked down at himself, reacting in quite an unexpected manner. He fainted again, falling over to the side, his head softly impacting the straw, immediately reawakening him. Rei turned his now black-and-blue head her way. "I'm still a Liolu, alen't I?" Sara nodded in reply, having calmed herself--outwardly, at the least.

There was a minute's silence in which they each stared at the other, thinking of what might be done. "Sarl...Sarrl," the once-human said, trying to work out his issues with 'R's, which still seemed to turn into 'L's. Clearing his throat, he held his tongue down, this time enunciating his 'R's clearly, "Sara... I don't think that... The_r_e's anything we can do. I'm not...sure that I even mind. I've always dreamed of being a pokémon, and now that I can be..." Rei shrugged, before smiling impishly. "Besides...Maybe now we'll be a bit more even, hm?"

Sara sat there in stunned silence as he spoke of his yearning. '_A human who wants to be a pokémon...?'_ But she was never one to back down from a challenge. "What say we find a clearing for this fight? Or training, considering how unused to your form you are?"

Both of them stood up, though Rei at once realized that what he had always assumed to be fur on his friend, covering the upper extremities, was actually a flap of fur-covered skin. _"Interesting..."_

The left side of Sara's lightly-toned mask rose a couple inches as she realized that he was speaking telepathically, likely without realizing it. Few were so skilled as to be able to do so without training, and fewer still Riolu. He spoke up suddenly, "I'll lead the way. I need some time to get used to this form, anyway."

* * *

**Day 1  
Subject is speaking normally and most biological functions seem to work well. The chip we implanted records that his heartrate and breathing is normal for such a specimen. We no longer have video nor audio, as he has moved out of the initial area with the female. Human and Riolu brains seem to be extremely similiar in function, though that of the Riolu reproduces its own brain cells as they die; as such, theoretically it would be possible to create a hybrid capable of infinite life, though we have not yet found what makes their brains capable of such a feat.**

* * *

"Close your eyes. If you are to fight effectively, you need to be able to focus and at least learn the basics of Aura. Think of something rhythmic. The waves lapping on a beach works well. Breath in my count of seven, hold it for seven, then breath out for seven, repeating this. As you breath out, imagine the waves going out. As you breath in, then come in, then are held at the shore. One...two...three...," as Sara taught Rei meditation, speaking now in the instinctive language of Riolu instead of that of humans. Rei didn't seem to know the difference, but the teacher found herself pleasantly surprised both by how enjoyable the act of teaching was and by how receptive he was. As she saw him getting deeper into meditation, she headed off, leaving him alone, but still within her sight.

She had chosen a spot close to the barn where they had awoken for just that reason; So she could safely scout while keeping an eye on the youngster. Despite how high up in their _former _organization he had been, he was extremely young, plucked off the street as an orphan by the one they called "Boss", who had seen the youth's potential. Her hackles rose just thinking of the two-timing bastard. A hand touched her shoulder and she started, grabbing it and twisting it to send Rei flying. "Rei! What...Why did you sneak up on me?"

He looked at the female as if she were daft. "I didn't. I called your name _five_ times."

"Well, then you should have been prepared. Focus," The last word she said more to herself. _'What if _he_ had come back? I wouldn't be standing here! I need to stay prepared for anything!'_ She shook her head, clearing herself of such thoughts. They would get her nowhere. Instead, she needed to learn from her mistakes, not dwell on them. "Come on. We're going to a place I know of. It shoudl be fairly safe. Besides, we need to build up your wind, and traveling is the best way to do it." She sped off as only a fighting-type pokémon could.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Rei yelled after her, running quite a bit more clumsily than his cohort did, though he eventually was able to get a decent speed.

As the two travelled, the female occasionally stopped, to teach him several moves that Riolu were known to use.

Several miles later, Sara stopped for a break, only sweating lightly, though Rei was drenched in it. "How...do you...do this stuff?" he panted.

She smirked at the once-human, "Practice. Come on. There's a stream nearby we can wash off in."

Rei froze, "Us? As in, both of us? At the same time?" At this, the oddly-colored Riolu burst out laughing.

"You're a _pokémon_ now! Besides, we're lucky. Even chaste Riolu can get away, because we have these," She pulled at the skin that hung down, covering her nether regions.

Rei chuckled a bit at her apt description, before replying, "Alright, then. Just don't get too close. Wouldn't want to make the local Magikarp think it was mating season!" He ran off toward the sound of water, his hearing now much better.

"Hey! I'll get you for that!" She yelled after him, chasing him right into the water and splashing him. Soon, they were soaking wet and it was late in the evening.

As each settled down to bed, Sara settling in the tree above him, Rei in an abandoned Mudkip hollow in that same tree. All the mud had dried, likely the cause of abandonment. "Is it okay if my lungs feel like they're about to shrivel up and die?" He asked, in complete seriousness.

"Yes. Now go to sleep, young one. And tomorrow the rest of your body will feel like that, so that's something to look forward to," Sara replied in like.

The newly-annointed Riolu groaned and curled ever tighter into the tree in which he lay, nearly falling asleep before his eyes even shut.

Sara was much slower to do so. She hadn't chosen to sleep high in the tree just because she preferred high places. The scout slept lightly and not well that night, worried of what might go bump in the night.

* * *

Well, that's that for now. I know it seemed a bit forced at spots, but I'm still getting used to this. As for when the next chapter will be? Only time will tell.


	3. Chapter 2: A Solemn Promise

As always, thank you for your reviews--Keep them coming! Thanks go to Lateral Ganon and Chaos Githzerai for inspiring me to pick up the pen. I just finished watching Rise of Darkrai on the tube (Youtube, that is), which gave me a bit of inspiration, too. Though, admittedly, the reason I watched it at all goes to the aforementioned authors. Thanks guys!

I'm combining this chapter with another.

_**Las Notas de los caracteres  
**As always, italics indicates a mental process of some sort. Single quotes indicate thoughts, while double quotes indicate telepathy.  
_Underlined is nothing. Seriously.  
As a note, Aura isn't aura. As another note, most pokémon can't talk. Some do, such as our Riolu and psychics. That's basically it.

* * *

_"How is the subject doing?" _

_"Well. He and the female seem to be heading to somewhere fairly far away. Their GPS coordinates suggest that they are going into the wilds."_

_"How very...interesting. Continue monitoring them and filing your reports."_

_"Yes, master."_

_"Dismissed."_

* * *

_'What an odd dream...,'_ thought Rei, even before he was fully awake. As his eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the bright morning light, he moaned. _'Sara wasn't kidding...'_ As he stood up slowly from the hollow in which he slept, absentmindedly scratching his shoulder, from above he heard, "Catch!"

Backpedaling quickly, he glanced up to see a pink fruit barreling down toward him. Rei held out his hand, catching the pink fruit. Or at least, letting it splat on his hand. Scowling at Sara above, she teased, "Oh, didn't you know? Pecha berries are quite soft.

He replied wryly, "I noticed." Deciding to test his new body, he ignored the pain and stiffness as he climbed up the tree with surprising ease which didn't escape the eye of his friend and mentor.

"Not bad. It's like you were born to be a Riolu," she intoned with only a modicum of sarcasm. "Let me show you something," she continued, moving up higher into the tree, towards the middle. Following, Rei noticed her pulling apart the branches to reveal a tiny bush that seemed to grow _from_ the tree. To his unspoken question, Sara replied while picking the few that were there, "Lum berries. They're among the rarest berries in the world, of the Oran family. They have great medicinal properties, restoring nearly any ailment."

"Where will you...," his voice cut off as he noticed a plant-hewn sash around her waist. Shaking his head, he said, resigned, "You'll have to teach me this stuff some time." On the limbs of the tree he was in hung Pecha berries in much greater quantities than that of the Lum. Rei walked easily across the limbs, picking and eating a couple before he leapt to the ground, landing easily.

Landing beside him, Sara commented, "We'll take it easy today, on the walking at least. You're probably feeling it today, eh?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "You've been practicing meditation, right?"

He nodded, replying earnestly, "Yeah. I used it to help me get to sleep."

"That's another thing. You can use it in place of sleep, though try not to do it unless necessary. You are aware of your surroundings while doing so, but it'll put you in a bad mood if you do it too much. Anyway, keep practicing and...," her voice trailed off as she looked behind Rei. "Get back up into the tree! Quick!" As she saw him hesitate, she continued, "Now, boy!"

He followed his more experienced cohorts orders, getting to the top before looking out to see a human lad about twice Rei's age coming down the road that ran parallel to the river for a ways. As he came into greater focus, Rei could see that the youth had greasy brown hair and was wearing clothes well-suited for travelling; A green overcoat with many pockets, a light, dark-colored shirt beneath it, and a backpack matching the coat. Beside him strode a strange feline creature. The feline had several leaves growing out of it and the eon's fur was colored tan. Rei recognized as a Leafeon from one of many pokémon articles he had read. The eon rubbed lovingly against the youth's jeans. He had only one Poké Ball apparent on his belt; not even any spares to capture with, though that meant nothing. Glancing over to his left, the Riolu spotted Sara beside him.

The youth's voice, soft as it was, was easily captured by the duo's ears as they listened carefully to determine his intent. "Well, we did get an early start today, I guess. We can break here for an early snack, couldn't we? Not that you need one, though some water wouldn't hurt." Next to Rei, there was a quiet moan as Sara realised that they planned to stay here for a while. The Leafeon responded even more quietly than the youth; as much as he strained his ears, the young Riolu couldn't hear its words. Rei scooted forward on the branch, cupping his hand-paws around his ears to hear the eon's feminine voice. "--ittle thirsty. I'd rather keep going, but if you--"

The Riolu's hand slipped, putting his entire weight, little as it was, on the small front end up the small limb. He had the good sense not to cry out, but that wouldn't have made any difference. As the ground came rushing up to him, he put his hands in front, rolling with it to absorb the fall. The youth was oblivious to the noise, though the keen-eared feline was not. She turned her head to face Rei. _'Uh-oh...,'_ he thought.

The youth had seen him, and with a concerned look on his weathered young face jogged over to Rei, slowing down as he saw just what Rei was. "A Riolu...," he breathed. "Are you all right?" He crouched down to Rei's level as he ran his eyes over the pokémon's body, looking for injuries. "Well, you seem to be alright. I know you can understand me, too, so don't try playing dumb. I'm a pokémon researcher, and I specialize in that of your family; Riolu and Lucario." The young researcher went on about what he knew of the Lucario line, but Rei didn't pay any attention, instead looking to the Leafeon and talking in the language of pokémon, asked, "Is he _always_ this long-winded?"

The eon grinned, tittering softly before replying, "No. Don't you know how rare you are? No? You must be pretty young, then. He's only like this when he's excited, and believe me, he is. This is his first time actually seeing a Riolu. Well, he also does that when he's explaining things, but usually not too much."

And Rei thought the researcher was long-winded. The Leafeon didn't even wait for a reply! "You could say that, I guess. I'm Rei. What're your names?"

Sara, too, knew better than to go after the crazy pup, and so instead, she listened to the enthusiastic youth that her young companion ignored. "Don't worry about me. I haven't even got any extra Poké Balls to use for you." The experienced pokémon saw that it was true, looking at his belt; It only held one slot for that of his Leafeon. Perhaps the young man really was what he said he was. "I've always been fascinated by your kind and devoted my life to researching you."

Rei seemed to have heard the last part, gesturing to himself and feigning flattery. The Leafeon laughed again, finally responding to his question in her typical rambling fashion. "I'm Adira. Perhaps you'd rather ask him his own name yourself rather than surprising him with knowledge of it."

Clearing his throat to get the exuberant human's attention, the Riolu stated in the human tongue with the slightest twinge of humor, "You haven't told me your name."

The enthused researcher stuttered before spitting out, "I-I'm Chase Mattingdale, at your service..." Chase's voice trails off as he awaits Rei's own name. Sara above watched the exchange carefully, closing her eyes and concentrating briefly. When her eyes opened again, everything was shaded in one hue or another. Ignoring all the others, she looked closely at Chase. A deep blue aura rippled away from him, with tinges of orange and green. He was excited and somewhat nervous, but throughly happy. There was no telltale black in the Aura that she saw emanating from him that would have foretold capture. He could be trusted, warily though.

"I'm Rei," For some reason, Rei thought against telling either of him that he wasn't actually a pokémon.

Sara smirked as she climbed over a limb directly above Chase. She dropped down onto his shoulder, causing him to jump three feet in the air. "And I'm Sara." Adira laughed for the third time in as many minutes as her own companion stabilized himself.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you about my friend? I'm ever so _sorry_ about that," Rei said with an impish grin stapled firmly on his face.

Chase, once recovered, looked strangely at Rei as he knelt down by the Emanation pokémon. He stared closely at the Riolu's shoulder, poking it slightly with a frown. "You've got a tracker on you. Looks to be put on by an amateur, or I wouldn't have seen it. You haven't been captured, have you? No... It looks like that from one of those crude needle-guns." Glancing at the shoulder that Chase had poked, Rei noticed a very slight discoloration beneath his fur, so minute that even he hadn't noticed it. Though, that was unsurprising considering he had only had this body for a few days.

"Can you get it out?" Rei asked, still speaking in English, though the language felt funny to his new tongue. "I'd rather not be traced."

The young researcher shook his head, "No, but I've got something better." Without waiting for the question as to what it was, he slid his 'pack off of his shoulder, letting it slide down his side to land quietly on the ground. This had the unfortunate side effect of knocking Sara from her perch on his shoulder, though instead of falling to land on the ground, she landed on his arm as he reached out to the bag. Ignoring the female Riolu, perched precariously on his arm, he took from it a strange metal instrument. It looked somewhat like a dentist's mirror, except with a wire running up to the 'mirror'. "Seeing how sloppy they were with the insertion, I doubt they would have made their own tracker. Researchers use this to broadcast a signal which turns off the GPS-signal before taking it out to replace it. In this case, we won't take it out, but it'll serve its purpose." Upon the Riolu's strange look, he explained, "If you try to take it out without turning it off, it'll give a bit of a shock. Not much, but usually enough to wake up the subject. Which is a bad thing when the subject is a Tauros. And...There!"

* * *

_"_What?!_ He's...Flatlined!"_

_"Hm. Start testing on Subject 052. Do not release the subject this time. Simply observe. Use the same base."_

_"...Yessir."_

_"Also, send a search team for the body in the same area the signal was last seen."_

* * *

"_Thanks, Chase," _The Riolu spoke telepathically, his mental voice grateful. Chase recoiled a bit, before calming as much as he had been. Which is to say, not much at all. Ignoring the researcher's discomfort at telepathy, he asks, _"Weren't you going to stop for lunch?"_

"Oh...Ah...Mm, yes." It was obvious that the researcher was thinking, likely about his telepathy. He probably had many questions, too. Rei nearly laughed aloud at the thought of torturing the poor man with knowledge hung like a bug just out of a frog's reach. Chase moved over to the river, nearly falling in before stopping to fill a canteen with water.

Meanwhile, the pair of Riolu conversed with Adira. "So...Where are you two going?" asked the curious normally-colored Riolu.

The Eon responded without hesitation, "Well, we've heard of a hidden village somewhere that many rare pokémon are at. Such as yourselves, Eevees, and even a few legends. My source says that it should be somewhere around here, but I'm not sure." Sara stared meaningfully at the Leafeon, though the somewhat airheaded creature didn't notice, nor did Rei, too intent on listening to the strange tan-colored pokémon, who proceeded to ask suddenly, "Do you two live here?"

Before Rei could answer, Sara did. "No. We're just...travelling." After a few moments' feigned thought, she asked, "Would you mind if we joined you?"

"No! Not at all! If anything, he'd be overjoyed that you would join him!" Adira exuberantly said, a wide feline smile encroaching upon her ears' position.

Sara stopped paying attention halfway through what Adira was saying. "Shh...," Her ears pointed toward the opposite side of the shallow stream, the only sounds apparent were that of Chase who now, done eating, was leaned against the tree that Sara had made her nest the night before, with his eyes closed, shifting now to sit at the base of it.

Just as Rei was about to ask what his friend was doing, several cries rent the early-morning air. From the forest of trees on the other side of the tributary came around ten teal-winged, purple-bodied bat-like creatures. From the tree came Chase's shout, "Gligar! Careful, these guys are vicious!"

'_Way to state the obvious,' _thought Sara as she crouched down, fearless in spite of their numerical disadvantage. She winced as the human cracked a rather large branch off of the tree.

"Don't worry," Chase said, noticing Sara's pained expression, before returning his attention to the Gligar. "This limb is dead." They came in closer, swooping down to attack. The oddly-colored Riolu focused, closing her eyes as she prepared herself to avoid their first attacks. Rei, on the other hand, wasn't quite as skilled, and so he instead kept his eyes open, looking for those that would attack him. The Leafeon was nowhere to be seen.

None of the Gligars' attacks hit, much to their chagrin. Unfortunately for them, the same couldn't be said of their opponents. Seemingly from nowhere came a pair of leafy whips, snagging two from the air and flinging them into the river, where they floundered in the cold water, unable to take to the air again. The human, too, contributed to the battle, swinging his makeshift bat to send one into a tree where it sunk to the ground, unconscious.

Sara leapt into the air as two approached, slamming her tiny fists into each of them, blown away as a white 'wind' flew from her hands. Her partner, on the other hand, fared a bit worse. Rei was only barely able to avoid the swipes of the scorpion-flies' wings, though he quickly made up for his near-hit by plucking it from the air and tossing it to Chase. "Hey, batter, batter, batter!"

As the remaining four circled back around to the trees, surveying their fallen brethren, the sole human of the group swung his bat again, knocking the Gligar flying, straight into one of the remaining ones. "Home run!" He cried out. That left three, though they vanished into a red beam coming from the woods behind, as did the rest of the Gligar.

Silence. "Who's out there?" the human called, breaking the silence.

A figure stepped out, laughing harshly, before speaking in a deep voice, "My name does not concern you. This--," He (which could only be assumed by the deep voice) pulled out a strange two-pronged device. With a savage grin, he turned a knob on the side of it before hitting a button. "--However, does."

The cries of pokémon erupted all throughout the forest. From the river came muffled sounds as the pokémon therein struggled against the pain. Sara was on her knees in agony, though her discipline prevented her from screeching as the pain begged her to do. Instead, she glared hatefully at the figure that had no doubt caused this. The Leafeon aside, camouflaged, had ingrained herself into the ground, and seemed to be less pained than Sara. Rei, however, looked around in confusion at the expressions of his companions, as did Chase.

The researcher's face quickly hardened as he stared solemnly at the evil man. His clothes were shaded to camouflage himself in the forest and had goggles fastened to his head by a strap. His eyes, though, were scarlet, nearly blood red in intensity. Those eyes turned to the remaining Riolu, who shuddered at his piercing gaze. Sara spoke first, saying in a pained, broken voice, almost a whimper. "Ge...Get him,... Rei."

The now-pokémon understood, dashing across the stream, bounding across the slippery stones at such a speed that even his mentor was amazed. His target simply smirked, surprised though he was at the creature's resilience, hitting another button which brought up a barrier.

Chase called out after him, thinking fast. "Rei! Brick Break!"

Of course, he would have had no idea how to use that move had Sara and himself not worked on it yesterday. That was the last technique that they'd practiced. As he leapt toward the camouflaged man, he pulled back his right fist which began glowing white. The Gligar-trainer reacted at an unhumanly speed near that that Rei had crossed the water with, hitting yet another button on the strange device. Just as Rei's attack broke through the barrier with ease, the man vanished.

His hand still glowing, the pokémon growled ferally, punching into a tree, shattering its bark and driving a hole into it in the shape of his hand, several inches deep. The hand ceased its white aura as Rei pulled it out, uninjured. His scarlet eyes blazed as he leapt back across the stones of the stream to the other side. His eyes softened slightly as he looked from Sara to Adira. "Are you two alright?" He spoke calmly, though through his tone it was obvious that he was fighting his anger.

This was a new side to him for even Sara, who had known him since he had been plucked off the streets as a child. Rei had always been excitable, yes... But he had never gotten truly angry. But then, he had never had a reason to. He'd lived a somewhat sheltered life. Until now. "I'm fine... The pain stopped as soon as he vanished," Sara replied, looking curiously at the other Riolu, both concerned and mystified, more for him than for herself.

Ignorant of what they were saying, Chase knelt down beside them, echoing Rei's words and getting much the same response. Chase pondered, finally in the know, "What sort of twisted machine could do such a thing? And who would create it?" His voice contained the same restrained anger that Rei's did, eerily enough.

Rei answered one of the human's questions, surprisingly enough. "_A pokémon hunter. They're... Bastards who care only about the money. They would do anything if it furhered their goals."_

Sara cocked her head sideways both in thought and at Rei's knowledge of the underbelly of society. She said, pausing intermittently, "_That would... also explain how he was able to use ten pokémon. But... What was his purpose?"_

_"Hunters need no purpose. Both Leafeon and Riolu are rare species. Or, at the least, difficult to find,"_ said the once-happy Riolu.

Unnerved, Chase asked , "How do you know that he's a hunter, though?"

_"Because...,"_ Rei said, briefly closing his eyes in anger. "_He was my... an acquaintance of mine_. _Long ago, I vowed to become stronger, so that I could end him and the Hunters, too._"

* * *

_I am. I was. I have been. I will be._

_A Pokémon Trainer. Some say the term in wonder, some in scorn. Me... Well, I'm more of the latter. The word; Trainer, that is, doesn't sound right to me, to my way of thinking. I've been with several pokémon over the years, some I haven't even 'caught', though all I have protected and treated equally. Looking back at my journey to where I am today; The lessons I've learned, sorrows gone though, and friends earned and lost, I've come to appreciate everything for what it is, not for what we believe it to be._

_I suppose that this is where my story might begin._

_Pain. That is what most I remember of my early years. Not physical pain, but emotional suffering. I was born in a town known by few, where none would guess it to be. Somewhere within the Sinnoh region, there was a cave complex that made up the town. The denizens forced the pokémon that lived within to go out. They gradually forgot about the existence of other people, though they still used the same language and system of writing as the rest of the world, thankfully enough for myself._

_None of that, though, really made any difference to me. The thing that really, truly caused me such emotional agony was that they shunned pokémon as works of the 'devil'. When asked just who this devil was, no one would ever answer. They had no answer. Blind belief in what they were always taught._

_I was always a loner, at least to those of my village. I ate little (of their food), and seldom slept inside the village. I never once believed their stories of the 'Demonic Pokémon', and I believe that they knew that. I had no friends in the village. Or, at least, none of the human kind._

_I changed all of that. I broke the bounds of the town's rules again and again. I had always felt a connection pokémon of all kinds. The other members of my village feared me for it. One day, though, everything changed. One day, they found out_.

* * *

As usual, I was away from the tiny hamlet. I was most at peace away from the cave complex. Given my own attitude toward the village, and humans in general, it wasn't surprising. Crowded around me were pokémon of all kinds; Some Aron, a few Geodude, many Zubat, and even an Onix, curled up around myself. I feared none of the creatures, nor did they fear me.

That day, I had been tailed by one of the overly curious gossip-mongers of my thorp. It was the one day that I didn't check for a tail, too eager to see my friends.

Several hours later, I returned to my stone 'house' on the outskirts of town, for the last time. Nothing seemed out of place as I entered my small 'home', more of an internal cave, a room among the immense complex of them, than it ever was a home to me. My entry into the subterranean room was cut short as someone leapt at me with an obsidian blade, only to be stopped by what appeared to be a stone.

Stunned, I could only watch as several more assailants leapt from the considerable shadows of my room, only to be stopped in like fashion. Several Geodude sprang forth, my protectors who apparently knew of the attack long before I did. Their blades broken, faced with the "Devil's Minions", they ran like the cowards they were. But there was nowhere to go. Behind me, silent for his size, another of my friends lurked, his massive bulk easily blockading those that attacked me in.

I was speechless. They were not. "Y-you demons!" And similiar cries rang out as I realised that nearly everyone from the village was in there. There was a low rumbling from behind me as if the Onix understood what they were saying. It probably did. Its (It's nearly impossible to tell an Onix's gender) tail wrapped around me, pulling me back from the cave. Though uncomfortable, to be sure, it didn't hurt. The Geodude soon followed.

The Onix's tail released me from its stony grip, before slithering to put its face at the entrance. Several of the townspeople dropped to the ground, unconscious from fright, before the rest followed suit as a wave of excruciating sound shot from the Onix's mouth. I was shocked at the drastic actions the stone snake took, though in some part of my mind was glad. They'd had that coming to them for a while.

I spoke to the pokémon, emotion filling my voice, "Thank you... so much. For everything. You all kept me sane. But... I must go now. I cannot suffer their company any longer, nor would they mine." A single tear fell down my cheek, near invisible in the penetrating darkness. I took a deep breath, hardly able to keep control of myself. "Goodbye, my friends."

Knowing the layout of the entire complex, I had long ago found the exit to the outside world, though never had I gone until they forced me to. Behind me, a soft squeak echoed through the caverns. Turning to see it through my cave-adapted eyes (There was, of course, phosphorescent moss), I found an Aron following me. "You want to join me?" It squeaked affirmatively, nodding its head. "...Alright. But I can't keep calling you 'It'. Are you a boy? Or a girl?" She nodded at the second inquiry. "It might be bright," I warned, motioning for it to follow.

Mercifully, there were no pursuers. The members of that village must have been glad to be rid of me. A slight light came in through the mouth of the complex, as opposed to the great amounts that had poured in the last time I was here. Cautiously, I stepped out, breathing for the first time the pure air of the mountainside. Gasping, I looked up at a saucer in the night's sky. It was gorgeous, the source of light in an otherwise dark world.

I glanced down at my sole companion on my journey. "Well... My friend, this is the first night of the rest of my... Of _our_ lives." She squeaked softly, seeming to smile up at me. "At least you'll be with me." I draped my arm around her side and she snuggled against it, settling down to sleep. '_I hope that not everyone is like those in my village. ...Well, if they are, I'll just have to show them the truth. One way or another." _I sighed at the thought, before joining my friend in slumber.

* * *

As always since that fateful day, one week ago, my eyes opened before the sun came above the horizon. Its rising made for a glorious start to every day. This day started as all the six others had; I made sure that my companion had an adequate supply of metal nearby to eat. Aron didn't need to eat very much, though their food was somewhat rare in those parts. Next, I found an area far from any nearby source of water to make my own. Usually, there were bushes or trees with berries somewhere around, so I would search for them while my traveling compatriot had her own meal. From there, I would go back to Aron to find a source of water for myself and her to drink.

But it wasn't to be the case, not today. As I got back from my first duty to sit and take a break, watching the sun rise, another person appeared, as if from nowhere. I was unperturbed, though that would not have been the case had I been aware of him. I was simply gazing off into the sunrise.

"Hello? Anyone home?" a voice came in front of me, snapping me out of my sun-induced stupor. I sprung backwards off the rock I sat on, moving my head suddenly in each direction as if for something to protect myself with. My eyes slowly settled upon the person in front of me.

The boy was fairly young, still with baby fat on his cheeks and lack of facial hair. At most, I judged, he was twelve. And that was pushing it. His clothes were well fit for travelling in the wilds we were in, and he carried with him a backpack. He wore a belt containing six strange red-white balls, but that was of less concern to me than what was on his shoulders. A pokémon, I judged it to be, with almost its entire front colored red and all else green. A twin pair of tails hung loosely down the boy's back. Looking to its face, it had a somewhat short snout and two ridges on its head that created a 'valley'. Large eyes looked sharply at me as I looked in wonder and curiosity at it.

My eyes moving from the boy's face and the pokémon's, I asked, heedless of the youth's presence, "How does he treat you?" Before the pokémon had the chance to respond, Aron ran up beside me, cocking her head curiously at the duo much as I had done only a moment before.

The Treecko, as I soon found, chattered away in its own tongue. I couldn't quite understand exactly what it was saying, but through its body language and tone, I found that both it and the youth were quite angry at me for connotating such a thing. "Just who are you?!" he demanded.

I immediately realized my mistake and apoligized, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to imply..."

He interrupted, his mood changing quickly, "Don't sweat it. Besides, if you're worried about Zane, you can't be all that bad. I'm Carter." Zane looked between us before jumping to my shoulder and spoke into my ear. I couldn't understand the meaning of what it said, exactly, but due to my experience with pokémon the past nineteen years, I was able to comprehend the basis of it.

"No, she isn't mine. No more than you're his," I responded to Zane's question.

The yo-- Excuse me, Carter's eyes opened wide as he gaped at me. "You can understand him? Usually it takes weeks of being around a pokémon before you build enough of a bond to be able to..."

I shook my head as the Treecko jumped back over to Carter's shoulder. "No, not really. I've spent most of my life around pokémon. I can comprehend what they say, a bit, anyway. I can't really understand them, though... Oh, I'm Reese."

Carter smiled pleasantly, replying, "Good to meet you. Are you a trainer?" The youth thought it a redundant question, as no one else in their right mind would be in the wilds. It wasn't.

"A what?" I asked, my left eyebrow raised.

He stared at me, dumbfounded. "You...You're joking, right? Where've you been all your life, in a cave?"

I stared at him, speaking shortly, "Yes."

"Wha... Really? Um... Alright, then...," Carter stuttered a bit, apparently beginning to think of the answer to my question, much more complicated than it seemed. "Well, um... Basically, trainers raise pokémon to become stronger. It's against the law to do so to a pokémon that doesn't want to be trained, but that doesn't stop some people. "

I sat back down on the rock as I listened somewhat impassively, reserving my judgement for when he was done. He continued, "Some trainers have a goal in thier training; Going for contests, or through the League. I don't guess that matters much right now, though. Anyway, we use Poké Balls-- That is, these," He held up one of the red and white spheres, "To capture them. They have to be weakened in battle or want to be captured in order to be able to. That's it, I guess. So... You aren't a trainer? Then whose Aron--"

"She is no one's but her own," I replied sharply, a steely glint in my eyes.

"Okay, okay! Yeesh... Well, I guess I oughta give you a couple...," Carter muttered, digging around in his pack a bit before producing three pokéballs, which were tossed to me. I let them drop, before looking curiously at him. "Hey, if you're going to travel out here, you'll need some protection."

The Iron Armor pokémon moved with great purpose over to one of the pokéballs, headbutting a silver-ish button on the front of it. The Poké Ball opened up, briefly revealing a mechanical interior before she vanished into a swirl of red energy. The mechanism automatically closed and it dinged. I only looked down at it upon the ding. "...Aron?"

The youth chuckled at me, though my glare quickly silenced him. "It seems that yo--"

"She isn't mine," I interrupted angrily.

"Aron wants to train with you," He said, unphased by my interruption. The... Trainer, irked me for some reason. Still, I would have to travel with him for a time at least.

_Besides,_ I thought, looking on the bright side, for once, _I'd like to get to know Zane better, if not the...human. _


End file.
